BUDGET:
Getting there: Woodstock is 140 miles northwest of Boston. Frequent one-way sales rates start from $79 with a 10-day advance notice of travel; nonstop, AirTran or Delta.
Stay: The Shire Riverview Motel features guest rooms with New England furnishings and views over the Ottauquechee River (some with a fireplace). Relax on rocking chairs on the wraparound porch or enjoy complimentary coffee and tea from the veranda. The inn is near a walking and hiking trail head easily accessible from the Village Green. Fish nearby at the Ottauquechee and White rivers. Rates from $98-$158; www.shiremotel.com, 46 Pleasant St., 802-457-2211.
Eat: Since 1992, the Woodstock Farmers Market has displayed the finest in artisan food and products produced both locally and globally. The market serves breakfast and lunch, sandwiches, dinner entrees, local chocolates and jams, local and world-famous farmhouse cheeses, local and organic produce, beverages and more. Open year-round; www.woodstockfarmersmarket.com, 468 Woodstock Road (U.S. 4), 802-457-3658.
Experience: Road trip! Visit Vermont's scenic roads, byways (www.visit-vermont.com), scenic farms (www.vermontfarms.org) and many covered bridges (www.vtliving.com/coveredbridges). Along the journey, veer off to visit stops along the Vermont Cheese Trail (www.vtcheese.com). Pack a picnic for Sugarbush Farm at the end of a scenic Vermont road. Learn how maple syrup is made, sample more than a dozen aged and maple smoked cheeses, walk on the nature trail to the maple woods and visit with the farm animals. Free admission, free samples; www.sugarbushfarm.com, 591 Sugarbush Farm Road, 1-800-281-1757.
MODERATE:
Getting there: The distance from Burlington, Vt., to Woodstock is 67 miles. Round-trip rates start from $316 when booked 21 days or more in advance; valid on Continental, Delta, United, US Airways.
Stay: The Ardmore Inn is a restored 1867-era Victorian-Greek Revival home in this quintessential New England village. Accommodations (choose from five varied rooms) feature posh bedding, fresh flowers and bottles of Vermont water. The inn serves complimentary breakfast and afternoon refreshments. Rates from $130-$205 per night; www.ardmoreinn.com, 23 Pleasant St., 1-800-497-9652.
Eat: The chef-owned and award-winning Prince and the Pauper is housed in an old blacksmith shop in the heart of Woodstock. The intimate yet informal restaurant offers a prix fixe menu (appetizer, salad, entree), which changes nightly for $48. Bistro pizzas are $14 with other entrees from $18-$20; www.princeandpauper.com, 24 Elm St., 802-457-1818.
Experience: Take a guided tour of the historic Queen Anne-style Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion and gardens, which displays original furnishings, personal items and works of art that include some of America's finest landscape paintings. Today a National Historic Park, the property includes the mansion, a 550-acre forest of sugar maples, ancient hemlocks, a mountain pond, mountain pastures and the Billings Farm & Museum (www.billingsfarm.org), an operating dairy farm and a living museum of Vermont's rural past. Day hikers have nearly 20 miles of trails. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a mile from the park. Guided visits to the museum and farm (valid for two days) are $16 adults; free for children age 15 and under; www.nps.gov/mabi, 802-457-3368.
SPLURGE:
Getting there: One-way, walk-up business class rates to Boston start from $490; nonstop, AirTran or Delta.
Stay: Imagine starting your day with a candlelit breakfast at the Charleston House, an 1835 Greek Revival home furnished with antiques, oriental rugs and eclectic art. Guests are within an easy walk to galleries, museums, antiques shops and restaurants. Accommodations with four poster beds (some with fireplace) range from $170-$290 per night with breakfast. Look for Katmandu, the Himalayan house cat; www.charlestonhouse.com, 21 Pleasant St., 1-888-475-3800.
Eat: The Mangowood Restaurant is situated in one of Woodstock's most unique and historic inns (www.lincolninn.com) and serves a unique and creative prix fixe four-course dinner for $38-$46. A la carte entrees range from $21-$29; 530 Woodstock Road, 802-457-3312.
Experience: Take the trip of a lifetime and see New England scenery at its finest from a hot air balloon. Choose from a sunrise or sunset flight; $265 per person; www.balloonsofvermont.com, Quechee, 802-369-0213.
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